I’m in Delhi this sunny Saturday morning. I arrived right on time on the Shiv-Ganga Express with my friend Mike. We have next Tuesday off, since it’s Shivratri, a holiday celebrating Shiva’s wedding, so it’s a four day weekend for us. Thus, we thought we’d take advantage of it and leave our beautiful Benares for the more elegant Delhi.
Since I don’t have my passport and visa arranged yet (I had my pass stolen last fall when I was traveling on fall break, and am STILL paying for my carelessness!), I was refused accomodation at a guesthouse in Connaught Place. So, we’re staying at the AMerican Institute of Indian Studies, in Defense Colony in south Delhi. It’s a tad expensive (1000 Rs. a night), but there’s a great cook, Ashok, who practically demanded that we have dinner here tonight so he can go get us some good mutton and fresh veggies from the market and have something to do. And there’s great IKEA-esque furniture, internet, hot water (I got to take a shower! Yeeha! at home, I have cold bucket showers…) and TV!
Mike and I are headed to a shopping mall and English movie, followed by the National Museum of Modern Art today. It’s a scorcher already!
On Thursday, the day I normally have off during the week, my friend Jo and her friend Phil, along with Xoria and Raj, and Golu and I headed out of Benares for a daytrip to Siddinath Waterfall. It’s the same waterfall I went to last autumn, and this time it wasn’t crowded at all, only crowded with some schoolkids on a fieldtrip. The lagoon was COOOOLD to swim in, but felt great after the hot sun. We had a picnic, played in the water and enjoyed ourselves immensely. Monkeys charged me on the way to our car to go home, when I held all our trash. It wasn’t my fault I littered all over– when two great big male monkeys are running at you, you throw what they want! I freaked out a bit, but luckily wasn’t hurt at all.
Will send an update soon! Namaste!